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Beasts of Edgewood, #1
Slayer
A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance
After the death of her parents, sixteen-year-old Alivia Knight moves in with her aunt in the city of Edgewood. She tries to build a new life for herself, which includes getting to know Kayden, Ryker, Liam, and Finn, the hotties of the school.
But after barely escaping an attack from a monster, Alivia soon discovers she comes from a family of demon slayers, and that she is next in line. Her days are now filled with learning to wield a sword and a crossbow, and hunting down the supernaturals that roam freely in the city.
And the four hotties? They’re supernaturals, too. A vampire, a werewolf, a dragon shifter, and the last one is so dangerous that he must be killed immediately. Actually, it’s Alivia’s duty to slay them all. But how can she when she starts developing strong feelings for all four of them? Can the five of them change their destinies or are they doomed to live the life they were born into?
After the death of her parents, sixteen-year-old Alivia Knight moves in with her aunt in the city of Edgewood. She tries to build a new life for herself, which includes getting to know Kayden, Ryker, Liam, and Finn, the hotties of the school.
But after barely escaping an attack from a monster, Alivia soon discovers she comes from a family of demon slayers, and that she is next in line. Her days are now filled with learning to wield a sword and a crossbow, and hunting down the supernaturals that roam freely in the city.
And the four hotties? They’re supernaturals, too. A vampire, a werewolf, a dragon shifter, and the last one is so dangerous that he must be killed immediately. Actually, it’s Alivia’s duty to slay them all. But how can she when she starts developing strong feelings for all four of them? Can the five of them change their destinies or are they doomed to live the life they were born into?
248 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 3, 2018
423 people are currently reading
244 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
January 28, 2019
Real rating: 2.5 ALSO, when can I get half stars?
Was totally hoping for some Buffy vibes, but didn't get that.
Slayer is about Alivia Knight. It always has to deal with Kayden, Ryker, Liam and Finn. Now I love reverse harem books but I just kind of had some high hopes for this book. I don't know why I did but I still enjoyed this book.
Alivia was an okay character. The name definitely threw me off every now and then but I also couldn't get invested in her either. She was definitely a roller coaster of a character because she would go from likable to an annoying twat in .2 seconds. She was just very frustrating to read about. Then there's the guys, and eh. They were okay - not my favorite harem of guys.
Overall, this book was definitely a headache. I'm glad it's over and I probably wont dive into the next book UNLESS I have lots of wine available.
Was totally hoping for some Buffy vibes, but didn't get that.
Slayer is about Alivia Knight. It always has to deal with Kayden, Ryker, Liam and Finn. Now I love reverse harem books but I just kind of had some high hopes for this book. I don't know why I did but I still enjoyed this book.
Alivia was an okay character. The name definitely threw me off every now and then but I also couldn't get invested in her either. She was definitely a roller coaster of a character because she would go from likable to an annoying twat in .2 seconds. She was just very frustrating to read about. Then there's the guys, and eh. They were okay - not my favorite harem of guys.
Overall, this book was definitely a headache. I'm glad it's over and I probably wont dive into the next book UNLESS I have lots of wine available.
December 28, 2018
I wanted to love this. I really did. It read like Buffy the Vampire Slayer with a harem. I was messaging my friends about Buffy getting to be with Angel and Riley and deciding is Spike would make the cut and who else would be i her group. Would Zander have had the chance to be more then a friend? So I read maybe a quarter of the sample and eagerly bought the book. I have buyer's remorse.
To start off with you have Alivia moving across the country to live with her aunt, resolved Tolstoy moping over the death of her parents and enjoy a fresh start. Her parents have been dead for one day. One. Day. Then Alivia gets to school two days after her parents are murdered where she immediately tells the first kid she see she has moved there because her parents were murdered, and then two scenes later is refusing to say anything about herself in class because she doesn't want anyone to know she is there because her parents are murdered...
You then spend the first half of the book with Alivia lamenting about how the four hottest guys in school would never want to talk to her / be her friend/ date her as she proceeds to become friends with them. Seriously, repeatedly having a charter internally or externally whine that the guy(s) would never like them isn't fun to read. You can brush on a character being insecure, have her see them and peg them as the popular guys who wouldn't give her the time of day (a little hard to do here since they literally stop traffic to help her get to school), lament once how she doesn't feel cool/pretty/smart/intersting enough for them to give her the time of day, and when they do start to give her the time of day have her question why by writing it off as them just being nice or have her be suspicious of their motives, but just having her repeatedly says they would never like me every time she sees or thinks about the guys is weak writing.
I made it past the zero grieving period and the total lack of self confidence and enjoyed their first two outings together up until she got lost coming home from Chinese food. She is lost because she doesn't have a phone, but no explanation was given for why she didn't have one. Her parents weren't poor so they couldn't get her one, she wasn't with her parents when they were murdered so her phone was destroyed in the scuffle, area code restricted cellphone plans haven't been a thing for almost two decades now, and her line with her parents wouldn't have been shut off in the two freaking days they've been dead, so why doesn't she have a phone? Rayne needed her phoneless to set up Alivia's first encounter with a thing that goes bump in the night, but it was poorly executed. Have her lose her phone at the beach. Have it go dead because she went to school, then the beach, then the game, then used it to find the Chinese place andndidnt have enough juice to get home. Have her leave it on her bed when she changed into her suit. All of those scenarios make sense and still get you to the alone and vulnerable at night with the big bad.
I quit the book at 50% so while there are mild spoilers ahead the book won't be ruined if you read everything below.
Speaking of the big bad, things really go down hill quickly from here. So a vampire tries to bite Alivia, her Aunt shoots it with a crossbow, brings Alivia inside and says surprise you are a slayer, your mom was a slayer and wanted to spare you from this life, but since I brought you Tolliver here the he'll mouth has opened up again and demons are spilling unto town and you could ignore your obligation to kill things but then innocent deaths would be on you. Wow, what a c****y Aunt. Hey, it's my fault that demons are here and I'm forcing you, both through my actions and guilt trip, into the thing that killed my mom and your mom at a young age, and will kill you, but since I'm not the first born the obligation skips me but yeah you totally have to do it or you are a bad person. And Alivia just accepts this with no push back. She doesn't say Ummm this is crazy. She doesn't run away. She doesn't say looking never killed anything, I grew up in NYC for God sakes! I'm not cool with suddenly running around killling thing; I wouldn't even know how! Nope Alivia thinks for half a second maybe I should run away and then says no, it's my duty to save these people. There is literally zero character or world building that would allow her to reasonably reach this conclusion. She doesn't have the totally human friend she has made get attacked or the girl who was always nice to her in English and they chatted about their love for paranormal books get attacked and killed causing her to feel guilty and accept this path. Nope, she just instantly changes her world view and gets on board, while her Aunt acts from this post on like Alivia always knew this day would come and didn't just have her world rocked by 1) her parent's murder a week ago, 2) being attacked by a vampire, 3) finding out she is a slayer and her mom was a slayer and slayer business is what got her parents murdered.
The writing rapidly devolved from this point. Oliva is sitting in her basement flipping through her book of demons and this scene happens:
"Taking a deep breath I opened the book. The first page was blank. So were the second and the third. I guess the author had done this on purpose in case the book fell into the wrong hands. The reader would just give up and toss it away. The fourth page had words."
I'm 100% on the same page as Alivia on this. I can't tell you how many books I opened, saw a blank page, turned the page, saw another blank page, turned one more page, saw that that page was too blank and knew every page after that was 100%, absolutely, no doubts about it blank, so I just tossed the book in the trash without flipping to a fourth page or keeping it to use as a journal. Now I know authors were tricking me into not reading their secrets! My whole life has been a lie!
Then we find out page five, and every page after it, are pictures of nameless demons. They are nameless because there are so many of them they just couldn't possibly be named. I know.my encyclopedia of animals is the same way. It's just pictures and lists of the animals diets, prey, habitat, and predictors. My friends and I will constantly be talking about that four legged hoofed thing with black and white stripes or the giant grey thing with large floppy ears and a really long nose that is scared of the tiny white thing with whiskers, beady eyes, and a tail that is always trying to take over the world. We wish we had names to call them by, but alas, there are just too many of them to name, so we save time by describing them.
Then Alivia asks Aunt Bea if she can wait one night before she starts slayer training, you know, be normal just a little longer, to which Aunt Bea says nothing has to change. And you know she is totally right. Alivia's life is exactly the same as it was a few hours ago, well, you know, except for the hunting and slaying of demons...
So the overly dramatic Alivia who sees demon slaying as a massive life change heads to school where she has now decided she cannot be friends with the four hot guys she has been obsessing over because she has to be a slayer by night. This is even though there has been nothing in the story to reasonably give Alivia the belief hey this slaying stuff could be tricky to balance with friends and might get them hurt, well unless you count all those seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer the author watched, but that doesn't exist in this universe or else Alivia would have said, Ummm Aunt Bea, are you alright? Did something happen on the job today because vampire slayer's aren't real. Don't get me wrong, Sara Michelle Gellar totally kicked butt, and who didn't want Angel as a boyfriend, but that isn't real...
After spending the school day ignoring the only friends she has ever had, friends she wanted so badly she, as a child, asked her parents to take her to therapy because she recognized there was something wrong with her when she wasn't making friends like other children, that's a pretty self ware child... Alivia has a run in with a guy in the parking lot. He calls her ice princess, she slaps him, he grabs her, one of her guys shows up, Chase (the guy who grabs her) continues to act like the other guy isn't even there and this cringe worthy exchange happens:
"What do youbwant from me?"
"I told you, baby, I want to melt your world."
Sorry, I just threw up in my mouth a little rereadjng that. I mean come on, that is just first draft throwing the idea on the page level writing. It's OK to use that as a starting point but that shouldn't be your finished product.
The final straw for me was this training scene right after school with everyone's favorite Aunt Bea:
"Punch me"
"I'm not punching you"
"You're not going to hurt me. Did you forget I'm a cop. I work out four times a week. Show me what you've got."
"Can't I just practice on the dummy?"
"You're not ready for the dummy yet."
Yeah that makes sense ... OK, first of all, Aunt Bea just explained to Alivia that Alivia has to do the slaying, not Aunt Bea, because Alivia has super human strength and speed, but yeah, those four days a week that Aunt Beat works out make her invincible to super naturals other than the fact she already said it doesn't. Then who starts training from scratch with hey throw a punch? I can't tell you how many books where the girl has fallen into the super natural world and has to learn how to fight I've sat through the explanation of not tucking your thumb because if you do you will break it because that a important and part of the development of the story and the character. The details are important. You are building the universe as an author, you can't just skip or not pay attention to the little details. And finally WTF is she starting with hitting a human??? Is this some special dummy that attacks back? Isn't the dummy the thing you learn on as you are learning how to hit and what the movements are???? This is like basic action section movie and book writing 101.
All of this happened in a span of 20 pages or less and I just couldn't any more. I really wanted to like this and I still think it could be good, but it needs a lot more development. It needs continuity and story editing. Rayne needs a bunch of beta readers who will help her work out the weak points like the ones above. She needs to fix those week point and focused on building the world and the characters, and yes that is going to take a lot of pages. That happens when you have five main characters who will all need equal billing as the star. She needs to sit back and say does that makes sense when she writes something. Alivia is suppose to be a sophomore in high school so she she be 15 buy she is driving, she asked for a therapist years ago, she doesn't have a cell phone, she's never had any friends, not even online gamer friends. Football games are happening three times a week. Deaths are immediately forgotten and pushed past. If you want Alivia to be over her parents death or at least the immediate grief have her starting at school after her aunt took a leave of absence for the summer to spend time with Alivia in New York. Have Aunt Bea looking to join a force in NYC, but when she can't get a job she reluctantly brings Olivia back to Oregon hoping things will be OK. Have her believe the demons will stay gone and sympathetic and remorseful when the Vampire appears and Alivia's world is turned upside down rather than giddy and frankly kind of creepy. If I see that this is pulled and substantially reworked I will happily give it another shot but I just can't do it as written.
To start off with you have Alivia moving across the country to live with her aunt, resolved Tolstoy moping over the death of her parents and enjoy a fresh start. Her parents have been dead for one day. One. Day. Then Alivia gets to school two days after her parents are murdered where she immediately tells the first kid she see she has moved there because her parents were murdered, and then two scenes later is refusing to say anything about herself in class because she doesn't want anyone to know she is there because her parents are murdered...
You then spend the first half of the book with Alivia lamenting about how the four hottest guys in school would never want to talk to her / be her friend/ date her as she proceeds to become friends with them. Seriously, repeatedly having a charter internally or externally whine that the guy(s) would never like them isn't fun to read. You can brush on a character being insecure, have her see them and peg them as the popular guys who wouldn't give her the time of day (a little hard to do here since they literally stop traffic to help her get to school), lament once how she doesn't feel cool/pretty/smart/intersting enough for them to give her the time of day, and when they do start to give her the time of day have her question why by writing it off as them just being nice or have her be suspicious of their motives, but just having her repeatedly says they would never like me every time she sees or thinks about the guys is weak writing.
I made it past the zero grieving period and the total lack of self confidence and enjoyed their first two outings together up until she got lost coming home from Chinese food. She is lost because she doesn't have a phone, but no explanation was given for why she didn't have one. Her parents weren't poor so they couldn't get her one, she wasn't with her parents when they were murdered so her phone was destroyed in the scuffle, area code restricted cellphone plans haven't been a thing for almost two decades now, and her line with her parents wouldn't have been shut off in the two freaking days they've been dead, so why doesn't she have a phone? Rayne needed her phoneless to set up Alivia's first encounter with a thing that goes bump in the night, but it was poorly executed. Have her lose her phone at the beach. Have it go dead because she went to school, then the beach, then the game, then used it to find the Chinese place andndidnt have enough juice to get home. Have her leave it on her bed when she changed into her suit. All of those scenarios make sense and still get you to the alone and vulnerable at night with the big bad.
I quit the book at 50% so while there are mild spoilers ahead the book won't be ruined if you read everything below.
Speaking of the big bad, things really go down hill quickly from here. So a vampire tries to bite Alivia, her Aunt shoots it with a crossbow, brings Alivia inside and says surprise you are a slayer, your mom was a slayer and wanted to spare you from this life, but since I brought you Tolliver here the he'll mouth has opened up again and demons are spilling unto town and you could ignore your obligation to kill things but then innocent deaths would be on you. Wow, what a c****y Aunt. Hey, it's my fault that demons are here and I'm forcing you, both through my actions and guilt trip, into the thing that killed my mom and your mom at a young age, and will kill you, but since I'm not the first born the obligation skips me but yeah you totally have to do it or you are a bad person. And Alivia just accepts this with no push back. She doesn't say Ummm this is crazy. She doesn't run away. She doesn't say looking never killed anything, I grew up in NYC for God sakes! I'm not cool with suddenly running around killling thing; I wouldn't even know how! Nope Alivia thinks for half a second maybe I should run away and then says no, it's my duty to save these people. There is literally zero character or world building that would allow her to reasonably reach this conclusion. She doesn't have the totally human friend she has made get attacked or the girl who was always nice to her in English and they chatted about their love for paranormal books get attacked and killed causing her to feel guilty and accept this path. Nope, she just instantly changes her world view and gets on board, while her Aunt acts from this post on like Alivia always knew this day would come and didn't just have her world rocked by 1) her parent's murder a week ago, 2) being attacked by a vampire, 3) finding out she is a slayer and her mom was a slayer and slayer business is what got her parents murdered.
The writing rapidly devolved from this point. Oliva is sitting in her basement flipping through her book of demons and this scene happens:
"Taking a deep breath I opened the book. The first page was blank. So were the second and the third. I guess the author had done this on purpose in case the book fell into the wrong hands. The reader would just give up and toss it away. The fourth page had words."
I'm 100% on the same page as Alivia on this. I can't tell you how many books I opened, saw a blank page, turned the page, saw another blank page, turned one more page, saw that that page was too blank and knew every page after that was 100%, absolutely, no doubts about it blank, so I just tossed the book in the trash without flipping to a fourth page or keeping it to use as a journal. Now I know authors were tricking me into not reading their secrets! My whole life has been a lie!
Then we find out page five, and every page after it, are pictures of nameless demons. They are nameless because there are so many of them they just couldn't possibly be named. I know.my encyclopedia of animals is the same way. It's just pictures and lists of the animals diets, prey, habitat, and predictors. My friends and I will constantly be talking about that four legged hoofed thing with black and white stripes or the giant grey thing with large floppy ears and a really long nose that is scared of the tiny white thing with whiskers, beady eyes, and a tail that is always trying to take over the world. We wish we had names to call them by, but alas, there are just too many of them to name, so we save time by describing them.
Then Alivia asks Aunt Bea if she can wait one night before she starts slayer training, you know, be normal just a little longer, to which Aunt Bea says nothing has to change. And you know she is totally right. Alivia's life is exactly the same as it was a few hours ago, well, you know, except for the hunting and slaying of demons...
So the overly dramatic Alivia who sees demon slaying as a massive life change heads to school where she has now decided she cannot be friends with the four hot guys she has been obsessing over because she has to be a slayer by night. This is even though there has been nothing in the story to reasonably give Alivia the belief hey this slaying stuff could be tricky to balance with friends and might get them hurt, well unless you count all those seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer the author watched, but that doesn't exist in this universe or else Alivia would have said, Ummm Aunt Bea, are you alright? Did something happen on the job today because vampire slayer's aren't real. Don't get me wrong, Sara Michelle Gellar totally kicked butt, and who didn't want Angel as a boyfriend, but that isn't real...
After spending the school day ignoring the only friends she has ever had, friends she wanted so badly she, as a child, asked her parents to take her to therapy because she recognized there was something wrong with her when she wasn't making friends like other children, that's a pretty self ware child... Alivia has a run in with a guy in the parking lot. He calls her ice princess, she slaps him, he grabs her, one of her guys shows up, Chase (the guy who grabs her) continues to act like the other guy isn't even there and this cringe worthy exchange happens:
"What do youbwant from me?"
"I told you, baby, I want to melt your world."
Sorry, I just threw up in my mouth a little rereadjng that. I mean come on, that is just first draft throwing the idea on the page level writing. It's OK to use that as a starting point but that shouldn't be your finished product.
The final straw for me was this training scene right after school with everyone's favorite Aunt Bea:
"Punch me"
"I'm not punching you"
"You're not going to hurt me. Did you forget I'm a cop. I work out four times a week. Show me what you've got."
"Can't I just practice on the dummy?"
"You're not ready for the dummy yet."
Yeah that makes sense ... OK, first of all, Aunt Bea just explained to Alivia that Alivia has to do the slaying, not Aunt Bea, because Alivia has super human strength and speed, but yeah, those four days a week that Aunt Beat works out make her invincible to super naturals other than the fact she already said it doesn't. Then who starts training from scratch with hey throw a punch? I can't tell you how many books where the girl has fallen into the super natural world and has to learn how to fight I've sat through the explanation of not tucking your thumb because if you do you will break it because that a important and part of the development of the story and the character. The details are important. You are building the universe as an author, you can't just skip or not pay attention to the little details. And finally WTF is she starting with hitting a human??? Is this some special dummy that attacks back? Isn't the dummy the thing you learn on as you are learning how to hit and what the movements are???? This is like basic action section movie and book writing 101.
All of this happened in a span of 20 pages or less and I just couldn't any more. I really wanted to like this and I still think it could be good, but it needs a lot more development. It needs continuity and story editing. Rayne needs a bunch of beta readers who will help her work out the weak points like the ones above. She needs to fix those week point and focused on building the world and the characters, and yes that is going to take a lot of pages. That happens when you have five main characters who will all need equal billing as the star. She needs to sit back and say does that makes sense when she writes something. Alivia is suppose to be a sophomore in high school so she she be 15 buy she is driving, she asked for a therapist years ago, she doesn't have a cell phone, she's never had any friends, not even online gamer friends. Football games are happening three times a week. Deaths are immediately forgotten and pushed past. If you want Alivia to be over her parents death or at least the immediate grief have her starting at school after her aunt took a leave of absence for the summer to spend time with Alivia in New York. Have Aunt Bea looking to join a force in NYC, but when she can't get a job she reluctantly brings Olivia back to Oregon hoping things will be OK. Have her believe the demons will stay gone and sympathetic and remorseful when the Vampire appears and Alivia's world is turned upside down rather than giddy and frankly kind of creepy. If I see that this is pulled and substantially reworked I will happily give it another shot but I just can't do it as written.
December 20, 2018
Great new YA series
This has a wonderful main character who discovers she’s special beyond her wildest dreams as she develops new relationships which define her life. Let’s hope Danica Rayne comes out with the enxt book sooner rather than later.
This has a wonderful main character who discovers she’s special beyond her wildest dreams as she develops new relationships which define her life. Let’s hope Danica Rayne comes out with the enxt book sooner rather than later.
June 1, 2019
2 imitation is a form of flattery stars.
This is a mixed bag, it’s Buffy the vampire slayer with a prejudiced & pushy Guardian. I’m not sure if I’ll become a fan of the series but I will go on to book 2 bc I already own it.
This is a mixed bag, it’s Buffy the vampire slayer with a prejudiced & pushy Guardian. I’m not sure if I’ll become a fan of the series but I will go on to book 2 bc I already own it.
May 4, 2019
Update: I read this again and I must say that I really wanted to read it again to see if there was a change in my opinion. I must say it was a slow read. The second book I am hoping is faster pace since the ending in this one was fast pace and a cliffhanger. I would give it a 3 * so better than the 2 * before
12/31 Review
Lacking
The story is weak and lacking anything substantial. There are so many things wrong with it that it would take for ever to write down. I will say that the characters are well developed its just a shame that there is no support in the story.
The girls parents did and she is sent away to an Aunt that tells her she is a slayer. All through the book her Aunt bullied her and pushed her to be a slayer and I thought she was a jerk for that. I just couldn't stand her at all and it was just like that through out the story.
I would not read this.
12/31 Review
Lacking
The story is weak and lacking anything substantial. There are so many things wrong with it that it would take for ever to write down. I will say that the characters are well developed its just a shame that there is no support in the story.
The girls parents did and she is sent away to an Aunt that tells her she is a slayer. All through the book her Aunt bullied her and pushed her to be a slayer and I thought she was a jerk for that. I just couldn't stand her at all and it was just like that through out the story.
I would not read this.
January 26, 2019
Beginning was intriguing, but I spent most of this novel irritated and yelling at the characters and trying not to throw my phone across the room. Characters are annoying and have very little development. Readers are told the sky is red and that’s the end of the discussion. There’s no revelation why the sky is red, no questioning of how it got that way or how long it’s been that way or whether it’s good or bad and if it can be changed. We are meant to blindly swallow what is dished out. And then there is NO PLOT. What is the crisis that is resolved in this novel? Nothing is resolved. There's just this long buildup of information that is- again- black and white with no explanation or true exposition and then a cliffhanger. Nope. Nothing makes me angrier. I won’t be reading anything else from this author. Also TONS of blatant editing errors. See my progress notes for more specifics.
January 10, 2019
Interesting concept but poorly executed.
March 7, 2019
It had potential, but definitely didn’t reach said potential. The grammar alone was bad enough, but so was the lack of character development. This book felt like this authors first thing she’s ever written....like kind of juvenile in the writing style. The time frame in which everything happened was QUICK. Like excessively so. Alivias ups and downs were confusing and the speed of which she got over everything (including her parents death) was astonishing.
The only thing I can say I was okay with was her harem. It’s an okay harem. I might read more in hopes of seeing the author improve.
The only thing I can say I was okay with was her harem. It’s an okay harem. I might read more in hopes of seeing the author improve.
January 1, 2019
Promising start to this Rh read.
Slayer is a promising start to Ya Rh series. They are all around 16/17 years old. This is a slow burn Rh, which for this age I feel is appropriate. We did leave off on a cliff hanger but I believe it sets up for the next book perfectly.
Slayer is a promising start to Ya Rh series. They are all around 16/17 years old. This is a slow burn Rh, which for this age I feel is appropriate. We did leave off on a cliff hanger but I believe it sets up for the next book perfectly.
Read
November 10, 2020DNF at 25%.
The concept of the story was good but the execution was lacking, enough that I gave up on reading it. I found certain plot points to be unrealistic. For example, Liam runs hot, temperature wise, so much so that his touch is described as painfully hot. If that was the case wouldn't he go out of his way to avoid touching people? That might even be a big enough issue to keep him from going to a regular school, for fear of being discovered. The main thing that bothered me was the heroine's rapid acceptance of the situation and how she went from being innocent to very much not in such a short period of time. There were more things that struck me as illogical or unrealistic, these is are just two examples.
The grammar errors were noticeable and I'm not an expert at grammar by any means, so that's saying something. Lastly, the writing needs work. It felt a bit stilted and didn't flow well.
The concept of the story was good but the execution was lacking, enough that I gave up on reading it. I found certain plot points to be unrealistic. For example, Liam runs hot, temperature wise, so much so that his touch is described as painfully hot. If that was the case wouldn't he go out of his way to avoid touching people? That might even be a big enough issue to keep him from going to a regular school, for fear of being discovered. The main thing that bothered me was the heroine's rapid acceptance of the situation and how she went from being innocent to very much not in such a short period of time. There were more things that struck me as illogical or unrealistic, these is are just two examples.
The grammar errors were noticeable and I'm not an expert at grammar by any means, so that's saying something. Lastly, the writing needs work. It felt a bit stilted and didn't flow well.
December 20, 2018
My biggest critique of this series opener is that I think it needs to be longer. There was a lot that felt rushed, and I think that a longer book would've given Rayne the opportunity to add in more detail, more nuance into her situations, characters, and relationships.
Even though the characters go through conflict, go through struggles, there were some things that just felt too "easy". There's little easing into the supernatural world, and our poor leading lady's acclimation to her heritage is pretty much: accidental exposure to the paranormal, congrats you're a hunter, now I train you, go kill things.
I would've liked to see Alivia' introduction to this new world slow down. More time spent on teaching her about the supernatural, more time spent training and honing her skills. It just felt like it was being sped along to make it easier to tell the story, not necessarily in the interest of making the story into its highest quality.
As far as characters go, Alivia is likable enough that you want her to succeed, to be happy. She's not great at socializing, having lived a life with no real attachments, but she tries. The four men- Liam, Ryker, Finn, and Kayden, are each given individual backstories that play into their experience blending into the human world and also explaining how they wound up together as foster brothers. We don't get too much exposure to Rayne's mythos behind their creatures, but there are little drops of backstory that give the impression Rayne aims to develop her own unique spin on some creatures that we've all seen before.
The one character I really didn't care much for Alivia's aunt. I felt like there was a real opportunity for some bonding, for Alivia to have this solid adult, family, mentorship connection, but Bea just reads as cold to me. I felt like she was just pushing Alivia and treating her like she should be a replacement for her mother, Bea's sister. Where I wanted warm connection, I got a lack of care, instead.
Overall, Slayer was interesting enough that I did finish the book. I'd definitely like to see the writing process kicked up a few notches, but I'm not saying no to reading book two and seeing what happens next.
Even though the characters go through conflict, go through struggles, there were some things that just felt too "easy". There's little easing into the supernatural world, and our poor leading lady's acclimation to her heritage is pretty much: accidental exposure to the paranormal, congrats you're a hunter, now I train you, go kill things.
I would've liked to see Alivia' introduction to this new world slow down. More time spent on teaching her about the supernatural, more time spent training and honing her skills. It just felt like it was being sped along to make it easier to tell the story, not necessarily in the interest of making the story into its highest quality.
As far as characters go, Alivia is likable enough that you want her to succeed, to be happy. She's not great at socializing, having lived a life with no real attachments, but she tries. The four men- Liam, Ryker, Finn, and Kayden, are each given individual backstories that play into their experience blending into the human world and also explaining how they wound up together as foster brothers. We don't get too much exposure to Rayne's mythos behind their creatures, but there are little drops of backstory that give the impression Rayne aims to develop her own unique spin on some creatures that we've all seen before.
The one character I really didn't care much for Alivia's aunt. I felt like there was a real opportunity for some bonding, for Alivia to have this solid adult, family, mentorship connection, but Bea just reads as cold to me. I felt like she was just pushing Alivia and treating her like she should be a replacement for her mother, Bea's sister. Where I wanted warm connection, I got a lack of care, instead.
Overall, Slayer was interesting enough that I did finish the book. I'd definitely like to see the writing process kicked up a few notches, but I'm not saying no to reading book two and seeing what happens next.
February 22, 2019
Unique
Hmm.. the best word I can think of for this book is Unique. It is not amazing, but not terrible either. I found myself skimming and even skipping paragraphs or pages that were not important. The plot is mostly about Alivia overcoming her feelings and fighting her destiny. There is no action. No heart-stopping exciting events that keep you reading. This can easily be a book you quickly pick up and finish when you have extra time, it is not the type that keeps you engaged unable to put it down.
Yet, the story-line is nice and short. Nothing too crazy, which I actually appreciate right now because of the anxiety/strong feelings I have been having over the other books I just finished.
Reverse Harem:
This book centers on the characters slowing getting to know each other and trust each other. No sexual scenes or romances. They actually went on dates, like, “normal” dates. It is was interesting and unique for a RH, so I respect.
Morals:
Looking at this in a critical thinking way helps to understand most of the characters. The book helps, but you have to pause and empathize/sympathize with the characters and their backgrounds.
Unique:
Because I headlined the book as Unique.. I thought I would explain myself better. This book is unique for various reason. The RH is different, the Morals are a bit different. The style of writing is different. But in addition to those things, the magical/paranormal world is different. I noticed in previous series that there is a line between paranormal books and magical books. This book throws everything in together, even adding some. There are vampires and weres but there are also goblins and giants (etc). In addition, the book is not focused on those things. the book is focused on Alivias internal struggle and navigating her feelings for her predicament.
Hmm.. the best word I can think of for this book is Unique. It is not amazing, but not terrible either. I found myself skimming and even skipping paragraphs or pages that were not important. The plot is mostly about Alivia overcoming her feelings and fighting her destiny. There is no action. No heart-stopping exciting events that keep you reading. This can easily be a book you quickly pick up and finish when you have extra time, it is not the type that keeps you engaged unable to put it down.
Yet, the story-line is nice and short. Nothing too crazy, which I actually appreciate right now because of the anxiety/strong feelings I have been having over the other books I just finished.
Reverse Harem:
This book centers on the characters slowing getting to know each other and trust each other. No sexual scenes or romances. They actually went on dates, like, “normal” dates. It is was interesting and unique for a RH, so I respect.
Morals:
Looking at this in a critical thinking way helps to understand most of the characters. The book helps, but you have to pause and empathize/sympathize with the characters and their backgrounds.
Unique:
Because I headlined the book as Unique.. I thought I would explain myself better. This book is unique for various reason. The RH is different, the Morals are a bit different. The style of writing is different. But in addition to those things, the magical/paranormal world is different. I noticed in previous series that there is a line between paranormal books and magical books. This book throws everything in together, even adding some. There are vampires and weres but there are also goblins and giants (etc). In addition, the book is not focused on those things. the book is focused on Alivias internal struggle and navigating her feelings for her predicament.
February 26, 2019
If you are a twilight fan
Then this is the book for you.
Unfortunately, I'm not a twilight fan.
Here's my list of pros and cons:
Pros:
-great concept (I love a good badass slayer)
-useage of uncommonly used lore (I mean, I didn't see what Finn is coming. And that made me smile)
Cons:
-character development (With the characters, everything feels one dimensional. All of them. Even Alivia.)
- the vampires (I like my vamps to be a little less fluffy than kayden. The whole grabbing her and speeding her away felt too twilight for me. I was having flashbacks)
- the writing felt a bit forced (detailed in some places, really forced in others. Like there was writers block and they just pushed through it, never to return to the section again. Like when Liam and Alivia had that converse towards the end, when he realizes he was an idiot. She says she doesn't want to talk to them ever again but then she was suddenly cool to talk to Ryker only a few hours later? Like, I'm sorry I overreacted. No sweetie, you didn't overreact. Considering you've never had a friend, it's reasonable for you to be upset. The author just glossed over it)
-the whole Lawrence dodge ball thing (this gets its own con because it felt so unbelievably forced, I cringed.)
Bottom line, if you liked Twilight or books like it, you may very well enjoy this one. I'm sure there are people who adore this series and I'm happy for them.
I am just not one of them.
Then this is the book for you.
Unfortunately, I'm not a twilight fan.
Here's my list of pros and cons:
Pros:
-great concept (I love a good badass slayer)
-useage of uncommonly used lore (I mean, I didn't see what Finn is coming. And that made me smile)
Cons:
-character development (With the characters, everything feels one dimensional. All of them. Even Alivia.)
- the vampires (I like my vamps to be a little less fluffy than kayden. The whole grabbing her and speeding her away felt too twilight for me. I was having flashbacks)
- the writing felt a bit forced (detailed in some places, really forced in others. Like there was writers block and they just pushed through it, never to return to the section again. Like when Liam and Alivia had that converse towards the end, when he realizes he was an idiot. She says she doesn't want to talk to them ever again but then she was suddenly cool to talk to Ryker only a few hours later? Like, I'm sorry I overreacted. No sweetie, you didn't overreact. Considering you've never had a friend, it's reasonable for you to be upset. The author just glossed over it)
-the whole Lawrence dodge ball thing (this gets its own con because it felt so unbelievably forced, I cringed.)
Bottom line, if you liked Twilight or books like it, you may very well enjoy this one. I'm sure there are people who adore this series and I'm happy for them.
I am just not one of them.
December 29, 2018
Enjoyable, but could use work
This story, while enjoyable, could use some work with editing. Several minor word mistakes throughout the story.
The FMC was okay and the guys had nice back stories that are slowly revealed. I really liked their interactions and banter. It felt natural and well developed, even if slow burns are semi annoying. I also liked the diversity of the supernatural she encountered. I won't go into specifics that could detract from the surprise of what the guys are.
My biggest con was Aunt Bea. She annoyed me to no end. It felt like I had to skim her involvement because she was downright pushy as hell. Alivia just lost her parents a week ago, bam gets a surprised identity dropped on her and instantly needs training and go out and kill supes. She also was just a "natural"... a week later and they act like she needs to be perfect. Yep some Aunt she is (insert heavy sarcasm here). Yeah you want her to succeed and be safe, but she refuses to let the MC have any time to grieve, meltdown, be a normal kid. She was in no way endearing to me.
I would have liked to have slowed down that entire part some just to be more believable if that makes sense. Overall good story, but it felt rushed at parts and underwhelming because of it.
This story, while enjoyable, could use some work with editing. Several minor word mistakes throughout the story.
The FMC was okay and the guys had nice back stories that are slowly revealed. I really liked their interactions and banter. It felt natural and well developed, even if slow burns are semi annoying. I also liked the diversity of the supernatural she encountered. I won't go into specifics that could detract from the surprise of what the guys are.
My biggest con was Aunt Bea. She annoyed me to no end. It felt like I had to skim her involvement because she was downright pushy as hell. Alivia just lost her parents a week ago, bam gets a surprised identity dropped on her and instantly needs training and go out and kill supes. She also was just a "natural"... a week later and they act like she needs to be perfect. Yep some Aunt she is (insert heavy sarcasm here). Yeah you want her to succeed and be safe, but she refuses to let the MC have any time to grieve, meltdown, be a normal kid. She was in no way endearing to me.
I would have liked to have slowed down that entire part some just to be more believable if that makes sense. Overall good story, but it felt rushed at parts and underwhelming because of it.
January 31, 2019
I can see this gaining fans - 3.5 rounded up.
This is Buffy with an RH twist (and who didn’t want to see that?!) While I had issues with it, I understand the I am not the target audience here, and any problems I had with the plot should be taken with a grain of salt... simply because this particular RH is ‘not my cup of tea.’ (See what I did there? Read more RH reviews... you’ll get it...) Anyway, while formulaic and highly predictable, I can see this series amassing a cult following for a slightly younger audience than myself. It is fun, somehow cute, and aimed at those who are dabbling in this genre while indulging in fantasy and the paranormal. Give it a whirl, it might just be up your alley.
Pros:
- FMC is young, but sweet
- The guys are diverse and interesting
- Never meet the Foster Dad, but I’m curious
- Flows easily into book 2
Cons:
- Very predictable
- Teenager angst EVERYWHERE
- Presents The shades of grey between the black and white as shocking or world altering
- Sometimes annoying
Overall - just because I didn’t particularly LOVE this, I am rounding it up to a 4 because it has worth and it really will become someone’s favorite book today.
This is Buffy with an RH twist (and who didn’t want to see that?!) While I had issues with it, I understand the I am not the target audience here, and any problems I had with the plot should be taken with a grain of salt... simply because this particular RH is ‘not my cup of tea.’ (See what I did there? Read more RH reviews... you’ll get it...) Anyway, while formulaic and highly predictable, I can see this series amassing a cult following for a slightly younger audience than myself. It is fun, somehow cute, and aimed at those who are dabbling in this genre while indulging in fantasy and the paranormal. Give it a whirl, it might just be up your alley.
Pros:
- FMC is young, but sweet
- The guys are diverse and interesting
- Never meet the Foster Dad, but I’m curious
- Flows easily into book 2
Cons:
- Very predictable
- Teenager angst EVERYWHERE
- Presents The shades of grey between the black and white as shocking or world altering
- Sometimes annoying
Overall - just because I didn’t particularly LOVE this, I am rounding it up to a 4 because it has worth and it really will become someone’s favorite book today.
January 15, 2019
Borrowing a lot in this one.
Is it an interesting beginning? Yes. But a lot of this stuff is borrowed from popular culture from Buffy's teenage slayer to The Vampire Diaries Daylight wrings, if you're into supernatural television shows its impossible to miss the items straight from those shows, like Grimm's book of monsters and way of powers being passed and Buffy the movies cramps when vampires are around or in this case nausea. So much of the mythology is borrowed from pop culture its difficult to see this as an original work. Sure a lot of books have small similarities when they're in the same genre but its usually clear that most authors have taken the time to put their own spin on mythologies and create their own unique rules for their worlds and that simply wasn't done here. It's an interesting opening for a series, but it could use originality, I don't want television shows and movies I've watched regurgitated to me, I want to read Rayne's original work and ideas.
Is it an interesting beginning? Yes. But a lot of this stuff is borrowed from popular culture from Buffy's teenage slayer to The Vampire Diaries Daylight wrings, if you're into supernatural television shows its impossible to miss the items straight from those shows, like Grimm's book of monsters and way of powers being passed and Buffy the movies cramps when vampires are around or in this case nausea. So much of the mythology is borrowed from pop culture its difficult to see this as an original work. Sure a lot of books have small similarities when they're in the same genre but its usually clear that most authors have taken the time to put their own spin on mythologies and create their own unique rules for their worlds and that simply wasn't done here. It's an interesting opening for a series, but it could use originality, I don't want television shows and movies I've watched regurgitated to me, I want to read Rayne's original work and ideas.
December 4, 2019
Did you read that blurb?
Okay I am picturing a young mature woman coming into her role as a demon-slayer. Fighting and ****ing the monsters. Hot/sexy high school men looking for someone who can except them for who they are.
At 16 the author got some parts right. Not every teenager is horny 24/7 and having sex with everyone. However I was expecting more than hot "car-rides" where they just look at each other.
The pace was too fast, moving from girl who is normal to girl who can perform backflips while slaying monsters overnight.
The trilogy takes place over a 4 month span so as you can guess the hot and heavy romance never happens. I would have labelled this an action book rather than a romance. It is a reverse-harem but I just finished reading Cate Corvin....
Not a bad book. Infact it kept me reading. Just didn't have what I was expecting/wanting.
Okay I am picturing a young mature woman coming into her role as a demon-slayer. Fighting and ****ing the monsters. Hot/sexy high school men looking for someone who can except them for who they are.
At 16 the author got some parts right. Not every teenager is horny 24/7 and having sex with everyone. However I was expecting more than hot "car-rides" where they just look at each other.
The pace was too fast, moving from girl who is normal to girl who can perform backflips while slaying monsters overnight.
The trilogy takes place over a 4 month span so as you can guess the hot and heavy romance never happens. I would have labelled this an action book rather than a romance. It is a reverse-harem but I just finished reading Cate Corvin....
Not a bad book. Infact it kept me reading. Just didn't have what I was expecting/wanting.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 20, 2018
This was an extremely well written book with great character development. It was a bit slow moving in regards to the friendships themselves to start, but overall I loved the characters and how they came together at a natural pace; awkward friendship to turmoil to friends they could trust to potentially more by the end of the book.
I thought each character was really well written and thought out, especially Alivia, but I loved how each of the boys (Liam, Ryker, Finn, and Kayden) were their own individual people with separate opinions and hobbies.
I would definitely recommend this book to friends. Very well written (granted, there were a few spelling errors and grammar issues), but I am VERY surprised this is Danica Rayne's first book. Job well done Ms. Rayne.
I thought each character was really well written and thought out, especially Alivia, but I loved how each of the boys (Liam, Ryker, Finn, and Kayden) were their own individual people with separate opinions and hobbies.
I would definitely recommend this book to friends. Very well written (granted, there were a few spelling errors and grammar issues), but I am VERY surprised this is Danica Rayne's first book. Job well done Ms. Rayne.
January 15, 2020
I am in love with Alivia and the Magnetic Four. My favorite part is that they are taking their time to get to know each other. Insta-love doesn't work for me at all. I love how different they all are and how Alivia isn't brainwashed by what she is, that she is strong and makes her own mind up about things and makes her own decisions. It's refreshing that the book deals with topics beyond the superficial like grief, friendship, doing what's right, duty vs. Following your heart, trust and accepting others for who they are regardless of preconceived notions or outside influence. I read this book in one sitting and now I'm kicking myself because it's all gone and I am not a patient woman when it comes to book series I love. Anyway... READ THIS BOOK, YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO PUT IT DOWN.
September 24, 2020
4 stars for Slayer by Danica Rayne. This is book one in the Beasts of Edgewood series. This is my first book from this author and it will not be my last. This book is a paranormal reverse harem, but it is also a young adult series. This book does end in a cliffhanger. Alivia lost her parents, moves to a new town, and discovers she is a demon slayer. She ahs never had friends until Liam, Ryker, Finn and Kayden. The only problem is they are supernaturals, the ones she is supposed to kill. I am loving seeing the relationships build and everything else happening. Just remember this is a young adult romance so it doesn’t have the steam. It is 16/17 year olds in this book. I am looking forward to continuing this journey with Alivia.
December 10, 2018
3.5 stars.
A quick read, and interesting characters, but this book had several flaws.
First, editing. Grammar mistakes abound. Please hire a proper editor and proofreader.
Second, this book takes a lot of its mythos from some very popular sources, to the point that it borders on fan fiction in my mind.
I enjoyed the story, but these issues kept me from loving it. I will probably read the next book because I am invested in the characters, but I hope for improved editing.
It is a slow burn RH, so I would almost recommend it for fans of such, but only if you are less sensitive about grammar errors.
A quick read, and interesting characters, but this book had several flaws.
First, editing. Grammar mistakes abound. Please hire a proper editor and proofreader.
Second, this book takes a lot of its mythos from some very popular sources, to the point that it borders on fan fiction in my mind.
I enjoyed the story, but these issues kept me from loving it. I will probably read the next book because I am invested in the characters, but I hope for improved editing.
It is a slow burn RH, so I would almost recommend it for fans of such, but only if you are less sensitive about grammar errors.
October 6, 2019
Simple, supernatural, RH.
It was okay. The character development was not really all that good. The Aunt character was very irritating since she just didn't seem to understand at ALL how much she was hurting her niece by refusing to allow her to cling to any sense of normalcy. The MC was also kind of irritating considering how long it took her to realize her new friends were actually her friends and not enemies. Her boys were kind of irritating in how they kept secrets from her in order to determine whether or not they could trust her - because building trust totally works when secrets are involved. *cue eye roll*
So it was okay. I've downloaded book 2, but at the same time I haven't started it yet. It is just sitting on my kindle while I read other stuff.
It was okay. The character development was not really all that good. The Aunt character was very irritating since she just didn't seem to understand at ALL how much she was hurting her niece by refusing to allow her to cling to any sense of normalcy. The MC was also kind of irritating considering how long it took her to realize her new friends were actually her friends and not enemies. Her boys were kind of irritating in how they kept secrets from her in order to determine whether or not they could trust her - because building trust totally works when secrets are involved. *cue eye roll*
So it was okay. I've downloaded book 2, but at the same time I haven't started it yet. It is just sitting on my kindle while I read other stuff.
December 16, 2018
It's a good read
I liked that the book didn't gloss over Alicia and the guys issues with themselves and trying to make their own decisions instead of going along with the preconceived idea of all monsters are bad. as I was reading I didn't care for Alvia's waffling between never wanting to interact with the guys then forgiving them over and over again, but then I remembered what it's like to be a teenager, so in the end it makes sense. The note from the author at the end of the book is a bit disheartening, please continue the story.
I liked that the book didn't gloss over Alicia and the guys issues with themselves and trying to make their own decisions instead of going along with the preconceived idea of all monsters are bad. as I was reading I didn't care for Alvia's waffling between never wanting to interact with the guys then forgiving them over and over again, but then I remembered what it's like to be a teenager, so in the end it makes sense. The note from the author at the end of the book is a bit disheartening, please continue the story.
February 4, 2019
The supernatural and demon slayers, can they co-exist? Alivia Knight is a sixteen year old girl who moves in with her aunt after her parents murder. After getting attacked by a vampire, Alivia is told she comes from a long line of demon slayers. After being thrown into the supernatural, Alivia finds out her closets friends are the supernaturals she is supposed to be hunting. This book is a good reverse harem novel. The story line is written pretty well, only wish it went into more detail about what is happening.
February 24, 2019
Meh
I wanted to give three stars, but it is not fair to the author that did not like the MC. My problem is the ND is a typical teenager; angst, whiny, pouty, and so forth. I know the character is 16 years old and I normally would not read a book with this age of MC. However, I have read other books where the 16 year is more mature and relatable. That was not the case in this book. Yet, the story is different in the sense of the slayer being friends with supernatural and they are unique supernatural. If you enjoy this age, you will probably enjoy this book.
I wanted to give three stars, but it is not fair to the author that did not like the MC. My problem is the ND is a typical teenager; angst, whiny, pouty, and so forth. I know the character is 16 years old and I normally would not read a book with this age of MC. However, I have read other books where the 16 year is more mature and relatable. That was not the case in this book. Yet, the story is different in the sense of the slayer being friends with supernatural and they are unique supernatural. If you enjoy this age, you will probably enjoy this book.
February 4, 2019
Easy Reading
In 5 words: Easy read with stereotypical storyline.
This book doesn’t inspire any raging reviews or cult-like followings but is a great basic fantasy book. Has your classic monsters with only some minor tweaks, so no need to learn any new mythology. No grammatical mistakes that I could find and characters fall into your classic stereotypes. Overall a smooth read for a day when you want to relax.
In 5 words: Easy read with stereotypical storyline.
This book doesn’t inspire any raging reviews or cult-like followings but is a great basic fantasy book. Has your classic monsters with only some minor tweaks, so no need to learn any new mythology. No grammatical mistakes that I could find and characters fall into your classic stereotypes. Overall a smooth read for a day when you want to relax.
March 23, 2019
I wanted to like this, but the story was boring and felt really rushed. There is very little relationship development and a lot of ‘telling rather than showing’. There isn’t much world building or description. It’s a bit of a Buffy ripoff with elements of Charmed, to the point where my brain was inserting visualization from the shows instead of visualization unique to the story. It was alright, but not intriguing enough for me to move forward to the rest of the series.
April 9, 2019
Loved it !
Ok so in the beginning it was really similar to twilight which I’m not mad at i love twilight ! But then it formed into its own thing and I’m loving it so much ! It’s so great and the creative character backgrounds and story’s are awesome as well the FMC isn’t annoying or overbearing or anything which is rare in some RH I’m waiting for it to get a little steamier ! But I’m so stoked to start on the next book !
Ok so in the beginning it was really similar to twilight which I’m not mad at i love twilight ! But then it formed into its own thing and I’m loving it so much ! It’s so great and the creative character backgrounds and story’s are awesome as well the FMC isn’t annoying or overbearing or anything which is rare in some RH I’m waiting for it to get a little steamier ! But I’m so stoked to start on the next book !
January 13, 2019
Alivia is moving in with her aunt after her parents death. She has always been a loner, but her love takes a huge turn when she meets the Magnetic Four and finds out some shocking information about her aunt. This story reminded me a lot of Buffy. It does end on a bit of a cliffhanger. I can’t wait to see what happens next with Alivia and the guys.
January 14, 2019
Excuse me wheres the next one.
Refreshing.
Anxious for the next book in the series.
I dont nor.ally read books that the seriers is not complete but il glad i read this one just now im impatient and i hope i dont forget about it before the next book comes out and i miss out all together.
Refreshing.
Anxious for the next book in the series.
I dont nor.ally read books that the seriers is not complete but il glad i read this one just now im impatient and i hope i dont forget about it before the next book comes out and i miss out all together.
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